Not many teams can claim better success on the power play this year than the Dallas Stars, who have used it as fuel to their blistering pace this season, but the Stars will face one Sunday as the Pittsburgh Penguins come to town.
The Penguins are converting over 34 percent of their opportunities, more than Dallas at 31 percent. Both teams are using that to bank wins and put themselves squarely in the hunt for a Stanley Cup this season.
Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) and defenseman Esa Lindell (23) celebrate the Stars win over the San Jose Sharks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has been nothing short of outstanding even at 38 years old, tallying 18 goals this season to put his team on pace to make the playoffs after two disappointing seasons in a row. He and Evgeni Malkin, who scored two goals in their last game to beat Tampa 4-3, are having a resurgence that makes it feel like 2016 all over again.
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Crosby had a hat trick the last time the two teams met in April, which was part of a long skid of losses for Dallas to end the last regular season. Now, the Team Canada Olympic captain will go up against an equally red hot Team USA hopeful in Jason Robertson.
Robertson added another goal Friday against the San Jose Sharks, keeping his stellar performance going from November in which he earned the second star of the month for the NHL. Mikko Rantanen is also on a point streak coming into Sunday’s game, which is all the more necessary now that the Stars are down a top-6 forward in Tyler Seguin.
Friday’s win over the Sharks was a bit of a slog fest over the first two periods, with both teams looking a little tired and sloppy. The Stars have played a significant amount of games with almost no rest more than one day at a time. It was a credit to their determination to pull ahead with three third period goals to beat San Jose 4-1.
Dallas has to go back on the road for two difficult Central Division games after Sunday’s game, so keeping their points streak alive would be a welcome relief. Even though the Stars are banking points far more often than not, the Colorado Avalanche have set a difficult pace to follow at the top of the division.
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Puck drop is at 5 p.m. at the American Airlines Center and can be seen locally on Victory+ and out of market on ESPN+.
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